Indiana Geological and Water Survey

The Indiana Geological and Water Survey presents “Landmarks in Indiana Geology–A Timeline” to celebrate two important milestones—the bicentennials of Indiana University and the state of Indiana. Beginning in 1787, this timeline illustrates the unfolding of Indiana’s history of the science of geology; it features noteworthy events, scientists, places, publications, buildings, and industries that are part of Indiana’s geological legacy.

This story map is the digital version of the IGWS publication Special Report 74. Underground coal gasification (UCG) is a technology that can complement traditional methods of coal mining and surface gasification. This technology works by converting coal into a combustible gas (syngas) that can be used for industrial heating, power generation, and the manufacture of hydrogen, synthetic natural gas, or diesel fuel. In the UCG process, the cavity formed in the coal seam becomes the reactor, so the gasification of coal takes place underground instead of in a gasifier at the surface, as in the surface gasification process. Selecting appropriate sites for UCG plants and applying the best UCG technologies and practices are complex processes, and a variety of technical and geological factors must be taken into consideration to evaluate each potential site.

Since 1975, the Indiana Geological and Water Survey has collected coal stratigraphic data in accordance with the National Coal Resources Data System. This cooperative project with the U.S. Geological Survey generates, updates, and maintains coal resource information, including coal location, thickness, depth, stratigraphic position, and surrounding rock data. This interactive application allows users to interactively search, explore, and compare coal stratigraphic data. These data are important for regional coal resource evaluations and can be used by the public, industry, and state and federal governments.

Indiana has experienced several glaciations in the past 2.6 million years. Immense sheets of ice, called glaciers, formed when snow accumulated over time, compressed into ice, and began to move under the pressure of their own weight. They flowed southward from Canada and dynamically changed the landscape through depositional and erosional processes. This story map focuses on the several different glaciation periods that sculpted Indiana's landscape. It is available at the Indiana Geological and Water Survey's website: https://igws.indiana.edu/IGSMap/GlacialFeatures

Get your copy of the 2018 IGWS Fossil CalendAR with Augmented Reality so you can bring interactive content to life on your smart device. Explore 3-D models and see what these former inhabitants of Indiana look like! The 21 by 33 inch calendar is printed in full color on heavy poster paper.

This report provides a summary of the development of underground coal gasification technology throughout the world and the results of an evaluation of the potential for application in the Illinois Basin. Two coal members—the Springfield Coal of the Petersburg Formation and the Seelyville Coal of the Linton Formation in Indiana and their equivalents in Illinois and western Kentucky (Dekoven/Davis/Seelyville and Dekoven and Davis, respectively) are assessed in detail based on thickness and depth. In Indiana, four promising underground coal gasification areas were previously identified in the Springfield Coal Member and five in the Seelyville Coal Member; this publication briefly reviews those findings. We subsequently selected one area in Posey County, Indiana, for further examination; the study began by drilling three new boreholes, was followed by analyses of coal and gas, and resulted in a reevaluation of coal volumes available for underground coal gasification technology. In this report, we present these new results and evaluate underground coal gasification potential in the area.

Indiana limestone is a world-class dimension building stone quarried in south-central Indiana. Known to geologists as the Salem Limestone, to the stone industry as Indiana Limestone, and locally as Bedford stone or oolitic limestone, this unique material has dominated the national market as a premier building stone for almost two centuries.

The Indiana Geological and Water Survey has been collecting physical and chemical data and mapping the Seelyville Coal Member for many years. This Story Map is the most comprehensive digital compilation of geologic information about the Seelyville Coal Member in Indiana that is currently available from the Indiana Geological and Water Survey. This application allows users to interactively explore the coal data. These data are important for regional coal quality evaluations and can be used by the public, industry, and state and federal governments.

The Springfield Coal Member of the Petersburg Formation is the primary coal seam mined in Indiana. The Indiana Geological and Water Survey has been collecting physical and chemical data and mapping the Springfield Coal Member for many years. This publication is the most comprehensive digital compilation of geologic information about the Springfield Coal Member in Indiana that is currently available from the Indiana Geological and Water Survey. This application allows users to interactively explore the coal data. These data are important for regional coal quality evaluations and can be used by the public, industry, and state and federal governments.

The Danville Coal Member of the Dugger Formation is an important mining target in Indiana. The Indiana Geological Survey has been collecting physical and chemical data and mapping the Danville Coal Member for many years. This Story Map is the most comprehensive digital compilation of geologic information about the Danville Coal Member in Indiana that is currently available from the Indiana Geological Survey. This application allows users to interactively explore the coal data. These data are important for regional coal quality evaluations and can be used by the public, industry, and state and federal governments.

The New Albany Shale is an organic-matter-rich formation of Upper Devonian and Lower Mississippian age in the Illinois Basin of the United States. The unit extends through the states of Illinois, Indiana, and western Kentucky and correlates with the Antrim Shale of the Michigan Basin and the Ohio Shale of the Appalachian Basin. Over years the Indiana Geological Survey (IGS) has accumulated an abundance of photomicrographs taken in reflected and fluorescent light. Until now, these images have not been published or made publicly available; they are, however, a substantial resource for academic and industry researchers. Most of the images are from Indiana's portion of the Illinois Basin. Illinois and Kentucky shale samples were obtained from the geological surveys in those states, and then photographed. Currently, the atlas contains a total of 923 microphotographs from 40 locations. Additional microphotographs will be added periodically.

Glaciers of Indiana is a full-color 26” by 34” poster that teaches about the immense sheets of ice that covered the state during the last Ice Age. Through field photographs and easy-to-understand diagrams, it explains how glaciers deposited sediments and changed Indiana’s landscape. A must for teachers and anyone who is interested in Indiana geology.